Curiosity scientist Laurie Leshin said that the evidence points to about 2% of the red dust covering much of Mars is made of water.

In the future it could be possible to extract this water and use it to sustain extended human exploration of the planet.

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"One of the most exciting results from this very first solid sample ingested by Curiosity is the high percentage of water in the soil," Leshin said. "About 2 percent of the soil on the surface of Mars is made up of water, which is a great resource, and interesting scientifically."

The results were published in the journal Science as part of a five-paper special on the Curiosity mission.

Nasa explained further:

"Baking the sample also revealed a compound containing chlorine and oxygen, likely chlorate or perchlorate, previously found near the north pole on Mars. Finding such compounds at Curiosity's equatorial site suggests they could be distributed more globally. The analysis also suggests the presence of carbonate materials, which form in the presence of water."